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04/22/2019 12:00 AMGirls’ Lacrosse
The North Branford girls’ lacrosse team punched its ticket into the Class S State Tournament and improved to 7-0 on the year by recording two more wins last week. North Branford earned an 11-4 victory versus Law and then beat Old Saybrook by a 17-8 final in last week’s matchups.
Against Law, North Branford jumped out to a 8-3 lead at halftime and went on to get the 11-4 victory on April 16. Senior captain Jessie Kilburn scored seven goals and added two assists, while freshman Olivia Toto had a pair of goals in the victory. Juniors Ali Barrett and Avonlea LeBeau both scored a goal and contributed two assists for the T-Birds. Seniors Jordan Regan and Mary-Kate Torgerson and sophomore Alyssa Kendrick had one assist apiece. Junior goalie Carly Sorrentino recorded four saves.
Two days later, the T-Birds visited Old Saybrook and came away with a 17-8 victory. The Rams were within striking distance at halftime, but North Branford outscored Old Saybrook by an 8-2 margin during the second half to run away with the win. Kilburn led the charge with five goals and four assists, and Toto also contributed five goals for North Branford. Barrett scored two goals and had two assists, LeBeau netted two goals and assisted on another, while Regan and juniors Melanie Norton and Sally Cucinotta all scored one goal. Torgerson finished with an assist, and fellow senior Cayleen Defaranos had two assists for the game. Sorrentino made six stops in net.
Boys’ Lacrosse
North Branford moved to 4-3 this spring by winning Shoreline Conference games against Cromwell and Old Saybrook last week.
On April 16, North Branford was on the road to face Cromwell and claimed a 12-3 victory. Sophomore Tyler DiNapoli scored four goals and had an assist, while senior Jake Montanaro scored a pair of goals for North Branford. Senior Nick Barrett dished off three assists, senior Dylan Martinik had two assists, and junior Peter Ablondi-Taylor also had an assist. Barrett, Martinek, and Ablondi-Taylor also scored one goal apiece for the T-Birds, who additionally received goals from junior Nate Raymond, freshman Joey Marra, freshman Jake Saldutti, junior Colin Nugent, and senior Cam DiPentima. Junior Xavior Cognata made 10 saves in net.
Two days later, North Branford hosted Old Saybrook and routed the Rams by a 13-1 score. DiNapoli scored five goals and had three assists in the victory. Ablondi-Taylor found the back of the net three times, Montanaro scored two goals, and Raymond also had a goal. Martinik contributed six assists for the Thunderbirds, plus Nugent chipped in with an assist. Cognata had five saves.
Softball
The T-Birds are 6-3 this season after losing two of three last week. North Branford sandwiched a home win against Westbrook between road losses versus Cromwell and Griswold.
On April 16, North Branford took a 10-7 loss against Cromwell. Trailing 10-1 entering the seventh inning, the T-Birds rallied for six runs, before Cromwell closed it out. Freshman Hannah Senerchia had three hits with a run scored, and sophomore Jada Miconi had two hits and two runs scored for North Branford. Junior Kayla Despres hit a triple and drove in three runs, while seniors Amy Raucci and Brianna Raccio, junior Katy Pedersen, and sophomore Sophia Ouellet had one RBI apiece.
The following afternoon, North Branford defeated Westbrook 18-3 behind an 11-run first inning. North Branford’s offense had 10 hits and worked 13 walks in the game. Miconi had two hits, including a triple, to go with four RBI and two runs scored. Outllett had two hits, two runs, and three RBI; senior Ashely Anderson finished with two hits, two RBI, and a run scored; and Senerchia had one hit with three RBI. Mairead Aiken started on the hill and gave up three runs in the first inning, but settled in to pitch a complete game and earn the win. Aiken struck out eight batters for the game.
North Branford then traveled to Griswold and took an 11-1 defeat on April 19.
Girls’ Tennis
The T-Birds improved to 7-1 with recent wins over Coginchaug and East Hampton/Hale-Ray.
On April 16, North Branford traveled to Durham to face Coginchaug and left town with a 5-2 victory. Junior Sofia Cavalier won a 6-2, 6-3 decision at No. 1 singles; senior Sydney Constantinidi earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles; and junior Janessa Pompano notched a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles. On the doubles court, North Branford’s top pairing of juniors Briana Dautaj and Ava Galdenzi prevailed 6-0, 6-2; while the No. 2 team of seniors Alyssa Diaz and Aaliyah Aaron gutted out a 6-3, 6-2 win for Head Coach Matt Tortora’s club.
The next day, North Branford defeated East Hampton/Hale-Ray 6-1 in a home match. Constantinidi earned a 6-2, 6-0 win in the No. 2 singles match; senior Jordan Caplan blanked her opponent by a 6-0, 6-0 score at No. 3; and Pompano won a 6-1, 6-1 decision at No. 4 singles. In doubles, Dautaj and Galdenzi notched a 6-1, 6-2 win at the No. 1 spot; Diaz and Aaron earned a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 2; and senior Ashley Testa and sophomore Emma Serenson claimed a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 3 to help the T-Birds prevail.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
North Branford had two athletes compete in the 1,600-meter run at the Connecticut Distance Festival that was hosted by Xavier High School on April 18. Sophomore Roberto Didiano finished in 60th place by running a time of 5:06.67 at the meet. Senior Alvin Chan placed 79th with a time of 5:16.52.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Thunderbirds sent one runner to the Connecticut Distance Festival last week. Freshman Regan Leete finished in 27th in 1,600-meter run by clocking in with a time of 6:11.60 for North Branford.